Some lessons should be learned at a young age, and for Clear Creek Middle School teacher John McLaughlin, learning about alternative energy is one of them.
McLaughlin teaches an elective class called Alternative Energy, and he spends the semester teaching students about wind, solar and hydro power, how they work and why they are beneficial for the planet.
“I wanted to give kids exposure to alternative energies,” McLaughlin said. “I just want them to have more of an awareness of what is available, of what is going on in Idaho Springs, in Colorado and across the country. It’s hard for this age group to get interested unless someone takes them through it.”
He hopes the students take away an understanding of renewable energy and the importance of conservation and recycling.
As part of the unit on solar power, the class took a field trip to Beau Jo’s in Idaho Springs last week to see firsthand the solar panels on the roof and to talk about the restaurant’s leadership in recycling and composting.
The students crawled onto the roof through a window to see the panels that produce about 40 percent of the restaurant’s electrical power. The electricity generated by the panels saves the restaurant between $70 and $100 a day, according to restaurant general manager Brian Grazer.
The students questioned Grazer about recycling and composting, and they learned that the restaurant uses more recycling bins than trash bins. Plus, it does a lot of composting.
Grazer also showed the students how the hot water pipes run close to the pizza ovens, so the oven heat warms the water, thus reducing the amount of energy it takes to make the water hot by about 50 percent.
“A lot of people know (the restaurant) because we are green,” Grazer said. “We are doing our best to help the environment.”
The students said they had learned a lot from the class, noting that they now recycle more, turn off their telephone chargers and televisions when not in use, and pay more attention to how they use energy. They also learned that paying attention to energy use can save them money, too.
“There’s a lot of green energy out there in the world,” said student Predrag Misa. “We learned that it’s a balance. Sometimes building a hydropower plant isn’t a good idea because it might hurt the ecosystem there.”
Contact Deb Hurley Brobst at deb@evergreenco.com or 303-350-1041. Check www.ClearCreekCourant.com for updates.